April 20, 2009
Important Haug Update
Lots of pictures on our blog: http://www.thehaugs.spaces.live.com
There are times in life when the storms rise up and shake your little boat so much that you wonder which way is up. The Haug family has felt a bit like that in the last while. Today we’ve been reminded of Jesus’ words to his disciples on that wind-tossed lake, “Don’t be afraid… Take courage! The ‘I AM’ is here.” (Mark 6:50) The All Powerful Creator God, the I AM, is HERE with us. We don’t need to worry or fret. We choose to trust that God has provided and will provide for us as a family.
We have had to come to a difficult decision for the benefit of our family. Boarding school has not worked out well for our children. We do not have many options around here for high school education, and none that would satisfy what we feel is needed at this time. With that in mind, we have decided that we need to move back to Toronto, Canada for 2 or 3 years to get our two teenagers through their high school years and settled into life in Canada. Please pray for us as we go through this transition. Although we are looking forward to getting back home again, it’s difficult especially for Mark. Pray that the Lord would provide employment for him and a sense of God’s peace and purpose through the sacrifice he’s making for his family.
Our hearts are still definitely here on the mission field. We hope and pray that the Lord will allow us to return again someday to serve him overseas. In the meantime, we remain open to what the Lord opens up for us during this phase in our lives.
Our leaving does shake things up a bit over here in Mozambique. We have the Santana’s, a Brazilian couple, on route to come and assist with the work here in Nicoadala. They are currently in Maputo doing their paperwork and getting a vehicle. They were to be replacing Rex and Rita Stuckless who have just retired in December. Now that the Haugs are leaving, another Brazilian couple, Izirlei and Lenilda Guimarães, who have been working with our team in Maputo for over a decade, have graciously agreed to move up to Nicoadala to take over the running of the Bible School. We know that the hand of the Lord has been in all of this. These two couples are more than capable, and I’m convinced they will do an excellent job. The one big concern we have is that neither of these couples comes with the full funding necessary to keep the Bible School functioning. We would like you to prayerfully consider that any support you have been sending to us or have thought of sending be transferred to EBZ Bible School, Zambezia, Mozambique so that things can keep running smoothly in our absence. Simply make a note of that name on your donation envelope or on your cheque.
Pray also for the staff and students of our Bible School. This will be another big adjustment for them. Pray for stability and peace through all of the changes in the coming months. Mark will be returning to Nicoadala from mid-June to mid-July to assist with the transition of the work.
Our planned travel schedule is as follows:
May 7 – 9 = Travel from Nicoadala to Maputo
May 10 – 11 = visit, say our good-byes, Missionary Meeting with the PAOC team
May 12 – 13 = travel to Pretoria/Johannesburg
May 14 = Mark and Jonathan fly to Nairobi, Kenya to spend a couple of days at RVA collecting Jonathan’s things, saying good-bye and getting his braces off. J
May 16 = Donna, Esther and Jesse fly Johannesburg to London while Mark and Jonathan fly Nairobi to London, hopefully arriving within an hour of each other. We will make the last leg of the journey to Toronto together.
May 17 = Arrival in Toronto at 14:40.
In spite of all of this, life still has a way of going on. Some of you have asked about how Jesse’s surgery went. Well, praise the Lord, he didn’t have to have it! We went to Malawi to see the surgeon. He inspected the toe and found that it has been healing itself. Since our first contact with him, having sent him photos and descriptions, until the time of the visit, there had been a marked improvement. It is not drooping nearly as much, and he is able to lift it somewhat. His gait is normal. So, the surgeon said we should leave it and allow it to heal on its own. Thank you for those of you who prayed for Jesse. He was very relieved to not have to go through with that.
This past week has been particularly challenging in that we’ve had to take two thieves to jail in a space of two days. The first day, a guy in Quelimane smashed our truck window to steal something, but someone yelled. Mark and Jonathan gave chase and actually caught the guy! The mob that surrounded them wanted to beat the guy up. Some yelled out to break his arm. Others said, “Kill him!” Mark and Jonathan protected the guy and took him to the police station and spent a few hours there doing all the paperwork. The very next day, a guy who had claimed to be an air conditioner repairman tried a scam on us – switching our compressor with the compressor from a man down the road and charged us BOTH for new ones! He got taken in to the police station too. It’s been a costly few days – both financially and time-wise. Please continue to pray for God’s protection and for peace of mind as we try to do what needs to be done before we leave.
Meanwhile, the work continues. Mark taught a one-week intense course on Homiletics last week. He loves teaching about the power of the Word of God. It’s encouraging when you “see the lights coming on” in your students and feel that they’re ‘getting it’. This week we have a Mozambican pastor teaching on the Christian family. This is an area where the enemy has been having a field day in this country, just as he likes to try in Canada. Our families are under attack. Pray that the students would catch God’s vision of what a Christian family should be and stand up in its defense.
We are in the process of setting up the teaching schedule for the coming term and making other preparations to hand the work over to others. There is much to be done in the next few weeks. We would appreciate your prayers over the next while. A month from today we’ll be back home with one challenge behind us and huge one still ahead. But we are listening to the words of Jesus, “Don’t be afraid… Take courage! The ‘I AM’ is here.”
Serving faithfully wherever He sends
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February 20, 2009
Ok, when I have to reach back in my memory bank to Christmas in the tail end of February, I know I have waited far too long to keep in touch with you. We did have a bit of excitement way back when, so I must share it with you.
We had planned to have a big Christmas Day family get-together with the missionary family from Quelimane. We were expecting to have about 28 people in our home for most of the day. Excitement ran high as we cleaned, baked, and loaded soft drinks into the spare fridge at “Mom’s house”, keeping the kids involved as much as possible. At one point Esther and Jesse went next door to “Grandma’s house” to get something from the fridge. Suddenly, we hear an urgent call from Esther. Jesse had hurt himself. I walked into the house to find Jesse standing in the middle of a coke pond surrounded by islands of broken glass. From the top of his foot a spurts of blood were pulsating with each beat of his heart. I’m sorry, did that gross you out? Well, you should have been there. The long and the short of it is that after applying pressure and bandaging it as best we could, Mark drove Jesse into Quelimane to get stitches. There was only one minor problem. There was no anesthetic to be found anywhere in town – not even in the hospital! So Mark and an American nurse launched upon Plan “B”. Super Glue. I had never heard of such a thing, but apparently it’s common practice (though the glue usually has a more sterile sounding name). A few hours later my boy arrived back home glued back together and all bandaged up.
It was not until a few weeks later when the bandages were off that we noticed that Jesse seemed a bit more clumsy then usual. He was tripping regularly. Then one day Jesse says, “Hey Dad, look here. I can’t lift my toe.” Sure enough, his big toe is drooping slightly and he cannot lift it up. I guess the coke bottle that nicked his artery must have also done some pretty severe damage to the tendon going down to his big toe. This issue still needs to be dealt with. We plan to take the first opportunity we get to take him to Malawi to see an orthopedic surgeon to see what can be done. There is never a dull moment in the Haug home. We are so thankful that our Lord carries us through the most “interesting” of times. His peace is so very real.
In January, we were privileged to be able to participate in a PAOC Global Missionary Retreat. After being part of the missionary family for 32 years, it was a wonderful experience to meet “icons” of our missionary fellowship and meet new families just starting out on this great adventure. We worshipped the Lord together and were blessed by the messages shared.
We arrived back home just a day before the next big event of our lives – the start up of the new school year at EBZ. Our Bible School is a bit unique in that we don’t do pre-registrations at this point. We never know until after a week into school how many students we will have for the term. So far, we have 15 students in this first 3 month term. Mark and I have just finished teaching our first two-week courses at the school – The Gospels, and Bibliology. I must say, I found teaching Bibliology for the first time to be quite the challenge. The Lord has been faithful, however. Monday a new class will be starting – the book of Acts. Please pray for our teachers and students, that God’s Word would come alive in our hearts and that the name of the Lord would be lifted up in each class taught.
On the third day of school we had another bit of excitement. Five men from the leadership of Mission Link and PAOC spent two days with us as part of their whirlwind tour through our mission works in Africa. Though I must admit to initially being a tad nerve-wracked over the visit and particularly the timing of it, Mark and I were so encouraged by their time with us. They were very uplifting in their words and actions. At the end of a “short little meeting” with us on the last night they were here which ended at 1:40 a.m., they laid hands on us and prayed for us, our family and ministry. We are blessed to have leadership who care so much about us and who have such vision for the future of the PAOC missions work around the world.
As we were well into the first stage of the long journey to attend our Global Retreat in late January, we received the devastating news that one of our pastor’s wives from our town of Nicoadala had just been killed in a traffic accident. Albertina was such a jewel. She was one of the few pastor’s wives to have graduated from our Bible School. In times like these, we cannot pretend to understand the Lord’s ways. The “why her” questions swirl in our heads. Our hearts break for her husband, Pr. Luis Soares. On our first opportunity after we returned, we joined him for a service at their church. They are still reeling from the blow, but there was such a sense of God’s sustaining hand upon the pastor and congregation. This church has always struggled. My prayer is that somehow through this, God will show himself in a powerful way in that church. Would you join me in praying for Pr. Luis and for his congregation as they work through this grief and pain?
As a family, we are doing well. Jesse is glad that my Bible School class is over because that means I’m at home and available to him when he needs me for home school. His schedule suffers quite a bit when I’m not home, although he does very well working independently. Esther and Jonathan are finding these days at RVA to be stressfully busy. Academics are challenging and there are so many extra-curricular activities available to them. Tonight is the Jr/Sr Banquet – a day looked forward to with great anticipation and much hard work. Pray that each of my ‘scholars’ will remember to keep their priorities right, and most of all, that each of them would be drawn closer to Jesus then ever before.
We appreciate and depend on your support and prayers. You are a vital part of this Mission to Mozambique. We are praying for you. May God provide for you in miraculous ways as you remain faithful to Him.
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December 12, 2008
I hear things have cooled off considerably back home. I can picture you sitting by the fireside drinking a nice hot cup of Tim Horton’s coffee as you toast the chill out of your fingers from shoveling your driveway. I’m hiding out too, but I’m sitting in an air-conditioned office enjoying a respite from the sweltering heat just outside my door. Homeschool and Bible School activities have ground to a halt for the summer, and it’s awfully hard to imagine that Christmas is just around the corner. Our Christmas tree sitting in our living room is making a valient effort at trying to convince us of the fact, but it’s not having an easy time of it. However, we do whole-heartedly join you in celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus. Merry Christmas!
Since the last time I wrote, Mark, Jesse and I have been down to Maputo for our National Conference. The highlight of that time for Mark was getting the chance to meet with a special guest from Tanzania. It turns out that this gentleman got saved under Mark’s Dad’s ministry in Mwanza. He was baptized by him as well. He says he remembers that John Haug had his family with him on that day. So it would seem that Mark was there too. What a treat to see this man so many years later serving the Lord. The work that God does in the hearts of men and women is for eternity. Praise the Lord.
A couple of weeks ago, we drove about 6 hours north of here to Nampula to pick up Esther and Jonathan at the airport. Jesse was bouncing up and down in excitement. He took my hand and placed it on his chest. He said, “Mom, just feel my butterflies!!” It is so good to have the family back together again. Mark had some ETE (Theology by Extension) graduations to do up in that general area on that following weekend, so we decided to take a couple of days to visit a friend’s beach house in Nacala. We thoroughly enjoyed hours of snorkeling, swimming, diving, sand-castle building, reading and got our exercise climbing the very steep hill back up to the house. We slept under mosquito nets on the varanda with the ocean breeze gently cooling us off. The stars were on full display – a tribute to the handiwork of our God. On Saturday and Sunday Mark performed graduations and handed out certificates for those who completed another year of their Bible studies through our extension program. Finally, a week after Esther and Jonathan arrived in Mozambique, we drove into our yard. Everyone was glad to get back home again.
Today was a momentous day for us. Mark left today taking Mom and Dad to Blantyre. They are officially retiring from full time missionary service and will be flying out to Canada tomorrow. They are looking forward to being back in Canada with the other half of their family for Christmas. Needless to say, it hasn’t been a very easy day for those of us remaining behind – particularly for the weepy daughter. However, we know that our lives are held very carefully in God’s hands. He will provide for all of our needs in His time. Attached you will find a copy of a little tribute I wrote for Mom and Dad which was read at our final graduation ceremony at EBZ.
Please pray for the Stucklesses and Haugs as we work through this transition. Pray for God to provide the necessary personnel to help Mark and I carry the load of the ministry here in the Zambezia province. Pray that we will make the most of our family time in the next couple of weeks as Esther and Jonathan will be heading back to Kenya in early January once more. Pray that God will provide through you, our supporters and partners, to complete what is lacking in our budget for this year.
And we promise to pray for you. We pray that God would reveal Himself to you in a special way during this Christmas Season. We pray that you and your families will enjoy a blessed time together, and that the coming year will be full to over-flowing of the goodness of God.
Celebrating the Lord with you,
Mark, Donna, Esther, Jonathan and Jesse
(Together again in Zambezia, Mozambique)
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A Daughter’s Tribute
To: Rex and Rita Stuckless
On the Occasion of: their Retirement from full-time Missionary service
Date: December 2008
I consider myself to be an incredibly blessed person. Mark and I have talked many times over the years of how much we appreciate our spiritual heritage. Being a child of a pastor or a missionary is not always easy, but it is a tremendous privilege. I have learned so many things from the life and ministry of my parents.
Rex and Rita Stuckless began their ministry many years ago in the province of Newfoundland in Canada. In the first years, they were pioneers. They would travel by boat for many hours just to get to these villages. They were isolated places and very difficult to get to. Many times they would even get sick on the boat because of how rough the ocean was. I was born during those years. I don’t remember much about it myself, but I have heard so many stories of how God provided miraculously just at the hour of need. I learned that in the times when I have great needs, I should trust in my God to take care of me. Even in the midst of difficulties in ministry in a place that was not always open to the Gospel of Jesus – even living in places that were not always comfortable – they raised their children, invested in people, and worked untiringly. I learned that God’s people and God’s work have priority over our own personal comfort. It is GOD in first place.
When I was eight years old, my parents obeyed the call of God to go to the country of Brazil. With 5 children between the ages of 8 and 3, they moved to the city of Fortaleza in Northeast Brazil and started to learn the Portuguese language. Over the years I learned that even in the difficult hours of life, God’s grace is sufficient. God guides us and keeps us in all circumstances.
I learned the importance of prayer. We always had our family devotional time before we went to sleep. I remember kneeling beside my dad, listening to his voice as he called out to God for each of us, for his family in Canada, and for the work of the Lord in the province of Ceará. Sometimes I would peek out at him with one eye. I loved to watch his mouth as he prayed. But the truth of the importance of prayer was penetrating my heart. One day, I remember climbing the stairs that led up to my dad’s office, and I heard him in there praying all by himself. No one was watching him. It was a moment between him and God, but it made a great impact on my heart. I learned that prayer and communion with God are the fountain of life in our work for the Lord.
I saw my parents go through many difficulties and disappointments in ministry. I learned that the power of God is demonstrated in an even greater way through our weakness and our inadequacy. Sometimes the people in whom we most invest, in the end turn their backs and do something that hurts us very much. But I learned through my parents’ example that in those hours, if we depend on the grace and power of the Lord, we ourselves are strengthened and the work of the Lord goes forward.
When I left home to continue my studies in Bible School I was only 17 years old. It wasn’t long before I had many friends and a myriad of activities occupying my time. Sometimes I would forget to write home. I know they were worried about me. But in each letter I received from them, they reminded me that their love for me had not changed. Even long distance, they gave me good advice and taught me to continue walking with the Lord.
During the years of 1995 until 1999, Mark and I also went to Brazil as missionaries. Unfortunately, our area of ministry was in Southern Brazil. It would take us 5 days and nights by bus to get to where my parents were. How often we said in those days how nice it would be if we could one day work side by side in ministry. But nothing worked out. However, God heard the desire of our hearts.
In 2002, Dad and Mom, Mark and I with our three children came to Mozambique together. Very early on, Dad and Mom moved a two day drive north to the province of Zambézia to begin the work of the Bible School and invest in the lives of people. In 2005, God made our dream become a reality when He called us to work side by side with Dad and Mom here in Zambézia. What a privilege! Not only have we worked side by side, but we even lived together for a year in the city of Quelimane before moving to the town of Nicoadala where we are currently.
During these years here in Zambézia, I have seen once more the servant heart that the two of them always have. When God opened the doors, they would to anywhere, making use of their 4×4, going into places where there were no roads, where bridges had caved in, where it seemed like the mosquitoes would carry them far away … and all of this at 60 years of age! Everywhere they went, they always showed respect and friendship for the Mozambican people. I have learned from their lives that I should always look for the best in people and believe in God for impossible things. I learned from being on the receiving end how to encourage the timid that have God’s call on their lives. In a gentle but firm way, they gave me little nudges moving me forward in the work of the Lord.
I am truly blessed, Dad and Mom. The prayer of my heart is that I want to be a faithful servant to my God for all of my life just as I have observed in your lives. Thank you for surrendering your lives and spending them in service to your God. Thank you for living a life of integrity before your children.
We will miss you very much here. But I know that in the years to come, the Lord will have two more faithful servants working in Canada and investing in the lives of many more people yet – including your children who are there and your grandchildren. Keep faithful, and we will never tire of praying for you!
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November 10, 2008
Happy November! 
Time for another peek into the lives of the Haugs in Mozambique. I have updated the blog, but I’ve decided to wait until Tuesday to post the pictures. We’re heading down to Maputo for conference and they have cable internet where we’ll be staying!! So please do check back in next week to see the new pics.
http://www.thehaugs.spaces.live.com/
Another year of ministry at the Zambezia Bible School has come to an end. As I watched the proud smiles on the faces of the graduates just before they began their march out of the back room robed in their black gowns and with their hats and tassels perched on their already glistening foreheads, I was reminded once again of why we invest in this work. Let me go back just a couple of weeks.
As you know, Rex and Rita will be retiring at the end of this year after completing 31 ½ years of overseas missionary ministry. Before they started this particular Bible School in Zambezia they had started two other Bible Schools in the country of Brazil. But going back even further, Rex and Rita were pioneers in remote fishing villages on the south shore of Newfoundland in the late 60′s and early 70′s. It was in those years that a connection happened which would have an impact on the final graduation ceremony of their missionary career.
A young lady named Inez Regular, together with another lady friend, felt the call of God on their lives for full time ministry. They also were placed in one of these isolated communities under the supervision and care of Rex and Rita Stuckless. Who knew that so many years later, Inez and her husband Melvin Power, pastors of a PAOC church in North Bay, Ontario, would come to the village of Nicoadala, Mozambique to share in the final days of Rex and Rita’s missionary service. Isn’t our God an awesome God?
Pastor Melvin and Inez came to Mozambique in mid-October with Garry and Norma Brown, a couple from their church. On the Friday after they arrived, we had a special meeting with the 9 graduates. Both the Mozambican and Canadian contingents all shared their personal testimonies. How inspiring to hear how God is at work transforming lives on both sides of the ocean.
The next day we took them on an adventure. We drove to a village not too far away, but we planned to stay overnight. As we waited for nightfall, we played games with the children. We blew up balloons and tossed them in the air, while the children had great fun chasing them down. Mark taught them how to play with hacky-sacks which our visitors had brought along. As it got dark, we showed the Jesus film in the Chwabo language. People kept joining the group even up till the crucifixion scene. After the film, many people prayed the sinner’s prayer. They were encouraged to look for a Christian church to learn more about this Jesus the next morning. That night we slept in our tents – well, we all lay down. I’m not sure how much sleep we all got. However, we were all up with the chickens and the sunshine at 4:30 the next morning. By 8:30 when the morning church service began, we had “showered” in the straw enclosure which just happened to double as the “pee toilet”, and we had eaten our breakfast of sweet potato and cassava root. The little church was packed with people singing and dancing. We celebrated the Lord together, each in our own language. Pastor Melvin preached on divine healing, and many people throughout the church raised their hands asking for prayer following the message. Our prayer is that many long lasting results will linger from this weekend of ministry.
On Monday night, we started a week of spiritual emphasis at the Bible School. Pastor Melvin and Inez both ministered throughout the week on the person, ministry and power of the Holy Spirit. We had wonderful times of prayer and seeking God at the altar each night. Many were baptized in the Holy Spirit, renewed with power and even called into ministry. It was a wonderful and much needed time of refreshing for all of us. On the Friday night we had an open-air service on a soccer field in town. We invited all Christ-believing churches to participate with their choirs. It was beautiful to see different denominations coming together to lift up the name of Jesus. We showed a clip from the Jesus film in the local tribal dialect and then Pastor Melvin preached a salvation message based on what was shown. Again, many people prayed asking God to save them and change their lives.
On Saturday, the widowed pastor of our church just across the laneway from our home got re-married. It was yet another interesting cross-cultural experience for our Canadian friends. The church members sang and sang as they waited for the bride and groom to arrive, which they finally did only an hour late. Rex Stuckless officiated the ceremony, and Pastor Melvin preached the sermon. The seating arrangement at the front of the church was confusing for our visitors. The bride wore a green lacy dress and typically was very serious all the way through the ceremony. The bride and groom were surrounded by their witnesses, a couple from town. Our visitors were not sure who the actual bride and groom were. As Pastor Melvin preached, he wasn’t sure who to look at when addressing the couple! However, the wedding was performed and Christ was honored.
Sunday morning was our graduation ceremony. Our Bible School chapel was filled as the graduates milled around in the office getting their robes on and nervously making sure their hats were on straight. Soon they were marching up the aisle as Rex played on the organ. It was a beautiful ceremony. The class speaker did a good job although he was a little bit nervous. The class chose the name “Sowers” for their theme. Pastor Melvin spoke on the importance of sowing the seed and that God would bring the increase. He held a bag over his shoulder and flung seeds around the front of the chapel as an illustration of how we ought to share the gospel. I’m sure those present will not soon forget it. The passing of the torch, the handing out of the diplomas and the moving of the tassels signifying their official graduation was all well done. The subsequent banquet was wonderful. But the real work has now begun for these men in particular. Many of them are already in ministry, some full-time and some part-time. But each of them has had much invested in their lives over the past three years. Please pray that they will put into practice what they have learned and share the truths of God’s Word with their people.
Our goal is to see God’s church grow both in numbers and in spiritual maturity. There is much to be done, but God is doing a great work. Our Canadian friends have returned to Canada. I’m sure they will never be quite the same again. Meanwhile, tomorrow morning we will be starting the two-day drive down to Maputo for our national conference, the Maputo Bible School graduation, and some missionary meetings. We hope to go into South Africa to do some medical and dental work and maybe just a little bit of shopping. We hope to be back home by November 14th. Please keep us in your prayers over the next few weeks. Our little family is under quite a bit of stress these days from many different areas. We would appreciate a special prayer covering over each member of our family. Pray for:
Mark – Wisdom and insight as he takes over the financial role on top of the administration end of the Bible School work. He also wants to start up a new level of teaching at the school in this next year, hoping to train more teachers to help us at the Bible School.
Donna – Strength in the adjustment as having Mom and Dad leave is a BIG one for me. I will also be taking over the Academic Administration of the school and the running of the Child Care Plus program.
Esther and Jonathan – Protection and peace as they continue their studies at Rift Valley Academy in Kenya. Pray for health and strength physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Jesse – Patience and peace as he’s finding some aspects of life as an MK (missionary kid) a bit hard to handle.
Pray also that God would send a Portuguese-speaking couple to work beside us in this ministry. God knows what we need. He knows who would best fill that role. Pray for God’s leading in these decisions.
Pray also that God would provide the short-fall needed to cover our budget for this year as well as for the coming years.
Thank you for your love and support. We couldn’t be here doing what we’re doing if you did not send us and cover us with your prayers. God bless you richly for your part in the Mission to Mozambique.
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Update: September 18, 2008
Praise God, Mark is home safe and sound!
Please go to http://www.thehaugs.spaces.live.com
for the full story and photos!
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September 9, 2008
Hello once more from Mozambique,
As of early this evening, Mark finally left the clinic where he had been on I.V. since last evening. The blood tests revealed a bacterial infection in his gastrointestinal tract. They gave him antibiotics via the I.V. as he couldn’t keep anything down.
Thankfully by late afternoon today the nausea and diarrea seemed to have let up. He still has a mild fever, but the doctor allowed him to leave the clinic. He must stay in Pemba till Saturday however, returning to the clinic every 12 hours to get injections. He’s feeling very weak, but he was able to keep some soup down this evening. He is glad to be able to lay down in bed without an I.V. needle keeping him from getting comfortable. Oh the joys of hospital stays!
He will need to make some decisions in the next while regarding the rest of the journey. He had 1 1/2 weeks yet to go visiting the Theology by Extension centers and performing their graduation ceremonies. Coming home is also quite an ordeal, as Pemba is a good 12 hour drive from home. So, please continue to keep him in your prayers.
I read many of your emails to him over the phone this morning. He had been feeling very discouraged and tired. He asked me to thank you so much for your prayers and your notes of encouragement. It has meant so much to both of us to know that we have immediate contact with such an army of prayer warriors who care for us.
God bless you!
Hello everyone,
Just a quick note to ask you to take a minute to lift Mark up in prayer. He’s up in Pemba, Northern Mozambique. He’s been very sick all day today with dystentry. He hasn’t been able to keep any liquids or foods down at all. This evening he was taken in to a private clinic where they’ve placed him on I.V. and have done some blood work. We hope and pray that he will quickly recover from this now. It hasn’t been a nice day for him.
We thank God that he was in a place where he could get help. He was also staying with Brazilian missionaries who have been taking very good care of him. Please pray for a swift recovery and for wisdom as he shuffles his schedule around yet again.
Thanks for “being there” for us. We appreciate you!
September 5, 2008
Dear family and friends,
You probably think we’ve fallen off the face of the earth, it’s been so long since you’ve heard from us. Then again, you were probably so busy over the summer that you didn’t even miss us, right?
Well, somehow Mom’s priorities become rather one sided when the kids come home from boarding school. Esther and Jonathan were with us again from Mid-July till this past weekend. We made the most of their break. Though we couldn’t get away very much due to ministry commitments, we did spend quite a bit of time with them just “hanging out”, taking them to the beach and pool a couple of times, and including them in ministry opportunities when possible. We did get away for a couple of days and visited Mozambique’s very own game park, Gorongosa National Park. We had never been there and had heard many stories of the devastation the park had suffered during the war years and the years immediately following. The animal population had been decimated, and the accommodations destroyed. Thanks to foreign investment, Gorongosa National Park is well on its way to becoming a world class park again. We loved our time there. The chalets were wonderful and the animals awe-inspiring. Enjoy the posted pictures on our blog (http://thehaugs.spaces.live.com/) and dream of coming to see it for yourselves!
Just this past weekend, Esther and Jonathan returned to Kenya to begin another year at Rift Valley Academy. Esther is entering Grade 11 and looking forward to Jr. Banquet this year. Jonathan is in Grade 10 and loving choir. Somehow the fourth “good-bye” at the airport wasn’t any easier for Mom to take than the previous three terms. We miss them, but we know they are happy and growing in every way. That’s all we can ask for. God has been so good. Jesse has started Grade Six in his final year of home school, if all goes according to plan. He is anxious to join his brother and sister at RVA next year. Bet you can’t guess who is dragging her feet. But, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Meanwhile, on the ministry front, the work never stops. I will highlight just a couple of the major events of the past month. In early August, we had our provincial conference held here at our Bible College. We had close to 100 pastors and church leaders filling the dorm beds and sleeping on mats in the classroom. Guest speakers dealt with topics such as Christians and traditional culture (witch-doctors, ancestor worship etc.), the Christian family, Church Growth, with the over-all theme being “Unity – Working Together for the Same Purpose”. The theme was timely as there were some serious issues that needed to be dealt with. God’s presence was felt in a strong way and we believe the Lord gave much needed wisdom.
Please pray for the church in the Province of Zambezia. The enemy is working hard to destroy the church’s leaders and their families. But we know that our God is Sovereign. His power is greater. Pray with us that God’s purposes will prevail.
Besides our regular teaching at the Bible College, we also are involved in weekend and some weekday ministry in our churches throughout the province. Mark was able to take Jonathan along with him to a village called Posto do Campo. They spent two nights sleeping in the roof top tent and eating sweet potato and wild meat. They were able to show the Jesus Film and the DVD of the book of Acts during the evenings. During the daytime, Mark met with the local church under a mango tree and taught them God’s Word. This trip reflects a bit of a change in our approach to village ministry. Rather than just a single showing of the Jesus film, we’ve tried to encourage the pastors to invite churches in all the surrounding communities to come together for the films and take advantage of a full day of teaching as well. Pray that the Lord will continue to guide us as we try to make the best use of our time and resources.
We are happy that we finally have our guesthouse available to visitors and missionaries passing through our town. We were able to put it to good use already, starting at the provincial conference. Since then, we have twice had the youth group from SIL (Wycliffe) in Nampula and their adult leaders spend the night with us. With four adults in the guesthouse and 12 teenagers sprawled on mattresses all over our house, we felt like we were back in youth ministry again! There is something special about the family of God. Even when we are strangers, we have no reservations opening our home to the missionary community from all denominations. Our family is much larger than we realize. It’s a privilege to serve the Lord and his people in this way.
On Friday, Mark will be leaving for a two week trip to Northern Mozambique. He will be visiting the Theology by Extension (ETE) centers, performing their graduation ceremonies and handing out the certificates for completed years. He will be encouraging the churches and leaders as he spends time with them and preaches in their churches. Please pray for safety as he travels. Pray that the students will be encouraged and finish well. Pray also that they will use the knowledge they have gleaned from these studies to further the kingdom of God.Thank you for being our Calebs and supporting us with your prayers and your financial commitment. We couldn’t do what we do without your love and support. May God’s best be your supply as you enter this fall season. We’re praying for you.
July 23, 2008
What’s a trip to Africa without a little bit of adventure? Our friend, Vladimir, had already experienced such a variety in his two months in South Africa and Mozambique. Finally, just before he left, Mark took him on one of those LONG journeys which are much a part of a missionary’s life.
One of Mark’s new responsibilities is that of over-seeing the Theology by Extension (ETE) program in central-northern Mozambique. The purpose of this trip was to encourage the leaders of the ETE program in the Cabo Delgado province and assist in training them to deal with the administration. Glen Halliwell, a PAOC missionary in Malawi, along with Francis, a Malawian young leader, joined us here in Nicoadala to make the trip as well. They have a vision to start up an ETE program in Malawi.
So, on a Monday morning they piled into Glen’s truck and drove all day (5:00 AM – 6:00 PM) to reach the first town. Over the week, two different full-day seminars were held with Glen and Francis bringing strong words of encouragement and challenge to the hearts of the leaders, and training in administration, answering questions, and dealing with issues by Mark. I will let the pictures tell the story of the roads traveled and the beds slept in over that week. Our prayer is that the ETE program will now have a sturdier foundation in that province, and that through it many more leaders will be trained in understanding the Word of God and will be better prepared to minister in their churches.
Less than a week after their return to Nicoadala, Mark and Vlad left once again, but this time for Malawi. There was one more necessary stopover before Vlad was to call his Africa trip complete – he needed to visit a game park. Their accommodation in the park was a tent on a wooden deck with a thatched roof overhead. In a 24-hour period they took two personal game drives with Mark driving, an evening and a night drive with a game scout, and a river ride. Vlad’s camera didn’t stop clicking the whole time. It sounds like it was a perfect wrap-up for Vlad’s trip. Thanks for all your hard work, Vlad!
Mark was to return home just after Vlad left on the Saturday. However, Mark had been having some issues with his truck and decided to get the mechanic to take a quick look at it before he left. Unfortunately, the work that needed to be done took much longer than expected (T.I.A.) and Mark didn’t make it home until Monday night. On his way through the Mozambican border, one of the border control guards asked Mark for a ride. As they drove, Mark heard a story that would have made the hairs on my head stand up straight if I had heard it before he arrived home safely at 9 p.m. that night.
Just 2 weeks before this, another of the guards was getting a ride to the border with someone and took the road we normally use to go from Nicoadala to Milange. There is one particular bridge on that road that we always shake our heads at, because it is so dangerous. The bridge has no guardrails at all. The drop off is fairly steep into a rocky dry riverbed. And the bridge is in the middle of an “S” curve with no warning signs. At that exact bridge, this guard and his ride were held up. Logs were put across the road bringing them to a stop and the thieves came out of the bush shooting. The driver was shot and killed. The guard was injured but escaped. This has happened twice in the same place. Thankfully, Mark had decided that the alternate and less direct route was the better option that night. Can I say once more how much I appreciate those of you who pray for safety as your missionaries travel on these roads!
Although the timing was not great, the plan had been for Mark, Jesse and I to turn around and travel back to Malawi again on the Friday enabling us time to do some necessary maintenance work (mainly, a desperately needed haircut for me) before picking Esther and Jonathan up at the airport on Monday morning. However, on Wednesday, two weeks after visiting the lovely mosquitoes in Cabo Delgado, Mark came down with malaria again. That’s twice this year he’s had to deal with this joy. Thankfully, we still had one dosage of the medicines available, and he started taking them right way. We changed our plans and left on Sunday morning instead, allowing him time to recuperate before facing those 3 hours of dirt road again.
The trip to Malawi this time was uneventful. I was even able to still squeeze my haircut in before the airplane arrived on Monday. The flight was only 50 minutes late – not bad at all. We were thrilled, because we wanted to come all the way home that night still. We had a surprise birthday party lined up for Jonathan. Eight missionary kids from Quelimane were hiding out in our house when we arrived home at 7 p.m. that night. What fun! We had a spaghetti dinner, chocolate cake, and played games like “Four on a Couch” and “Who Sir? Me Sir?” We roasted marshmallows at a bonfire in our backyard and had a sing-a-long with two great guitarists accompanying us. We watched movies, played board games and hung out. I lasted till about 2:30 a.m. Mark went a big longer till 4 a.m. But six of them managed to stay up for the whole night until the sun came up. What a welcome home for Esther and Jonathan. Needless to say, this is recuperation week for the kids! You gotta love holidays.
This is the last week of classes for this group at the Bible School. Our 30 students will soon be heading back home to their families and churches once more after spending 3 months studying and living together. They are getting excited about that. We’ll be having our closing service with them this Sunday. We have one week off, and then next Sunday the third group for the year will arrive. This will be the graduating class, only for those who have already completed two of their three sessions. Please pray that we will have a good turnout, and that each of the teachers will pour something new and special into the lives of their students over the next 3 months.
We have been reminded often over the past while that we really don’t control much of anything in our lives. How comforting to know that we are safely in the hands of a sovereign and loving God. Thank you for being faithful to pray for us, our family and our ministry.
God bless you!
Mark, Donna, Esther, Jonathan and Jesse Haug
June 2008
Prayer Requests:
1) Bible School – 30 students. Wisdom to teach EACH of them the truths of God’s Word.
2) Mark’s trip to Nampula and Cabo Delgado, Northern Mozambique - Safety on their journeys, spirit of cooperation and encouragement for ETE leaders.
3) Vlademir’s stay – protection, God’s vision for His work to be implanted in his heart.
4) Haug children – finish up school year well.
5) Future missionaries are needed to fill coming vacancies with Stuckless’ and Mercer’s upcoming retirements.
6) Finanacial and Prayer Partners are needed to support this opportunity to make a difference in the lives and ministries of many Mozambicans. $60,000 needs to be raised in the next 6 months.
June Newsletter
“I’m so glad he went.” How often I said those words over the weeks that Mark was in Canada. Not that I was anxious to get rid of him or anything. I was just so happy that he was able to make good on his promise to his parents to help them when the day arrived that they were ready to sell their home. What a privilege to be able to be there to take care of the overwhelming details, official address changes, and “just being there” for his parents. An added bonus of this trip was the chance to connect with family, friends and supporting churches. Mark’s emails were very encouraging as he told of the love and support he felt from those of you that spent time with him. Thank you so much. We have been blessed beyond words by your love.
On his way back to Mozambique, Mark was able to take a couple of days to visit with our two oldest children in Kenya. Esther and Jonathan still have a month to go at RVA. It sounds like they are enjoying their last term for this year. We keep hearing about new hobbies they are taking up – photography, guitar, Celtic harp, bonsai trees?? Then there are the class parties and movie nights … I assume they do some studying in there somewhere. We are looking forward to getting them back home again on the 14th of July.
Another school year is almost done for Jesse as well. He has only a couple more lessons to do in most of his subjects and Grade 5 will be a thing of the past. He still has a couple of weeks of math to go, and we’ll take some of our “down” time to work some more on Portuguese and several other projects that Mom has up her sleeve. But the excitement level is running high.
As I type here this afternoon, Jesse is having intensive Portuguese training. He’s playing in the yard with a number of Mozambican friends. About twice that number are standing at the gate wishing they could come in. We’d have our yard FULL of kids if we would let them all in at once. That’s a bit too overwhelming for Jesse. We’re just so glad to see him finally showing an interest in learning the language.
It’s always a neat experience to share “our Africa” with our friends from home. We are blessed right now to have Vlademir Klimenko with us for about a month and a half. He’s spent a month in South Africa doing a Missions Exposure Training course and having his eyes opened in a very unique way to missions in Africa. Now he’s getting a taste of what the day to day life of a missionary is like. His servant’s heart has been very evident as he’s been working on manual tasks such as painting walls and windows. He’s been making such an effort to learn Portuguese as well. The Mozambicans which he has built relationship with love to teach him Portuguese as he teaches them English. He’s taken one community especially to heart and has spent some time out there visiting with the people and giving out toys to the children. Now that Mark has returned, Vlad is traveling with him to various places. Last weekend, they went “to the end of the earth where the road runs out” to show the Jesus film. They ate their chicken and “chima” with their hands and slept in the Roof Top Tent. Next week, they’ll be making a week-long trip to Northern Mozambique to do some training for the Theology by Extension (ETE) programs up there. By the time he gets back to Toronto, he’ll be full of stories to tell. If you are nearby, be sure to give him the chance to share his heart with you.
Please continue to pray for the Bible School ministry. We have 30 students studying at the moment. We have many different denominations represented in this group, as well as education levels ranging from Grade 2 to Grade 10. Some speak Portuguese very well, while others struggle just to make themselves understood or to read their Bibles with any level of comprehension. Eventually, we will be able to raise the educational requirements of the school, but at the moment, these are the leaders of our churches. This is our reality. Please pray that we would be wise in our teaching methods and be able to give each of them something to take back home for their churches.
May 6, 2008
We feel like we’ve bounced to the ends of the earth and back again. The two day trip to Maputo from Nicoadala is getting so much better than it used to be … but it still is a very long, tiresome journey. The third day of traveling from Maputo to Pretoria/Johannesburg seemed like a breeze in comparison. Gerald and Pat Golbeck welcomed us at the MET center allowing us to stay in their facility for the duration. We were able to get the medical appointments completed in less than a week from our arrival and with a clean bill of health as well. To those of you who remembered to pray for us during those days, thank-you! Since we were able to get everything done so quickly, we were able to take a few days to do a little bit of sightseeing in the area. South Africa is full of fascinating history and cultural experiences. But, the highlight for us was the chance to reconnect with Leonard and Lorie Rutten and be blessed by their amazing “tent church”. What a refreshing experience. It’s wonderful to see how God is moving among the African people – black, white, rich, poor … and all those in between! We were able to book a flight on April 21st for Esther and Jonathan to return to Kenya from Johannesburg. Nine other RVA students were flying on that same flight! I feel for the flight attendants. After dropping them off at the airport and a tearful good-bye, the remnant of the Haug family began the return journey to Mozambique. Esther and Jonathan were at RVA before we even crossed the border! After a couple of days in Maputo filled with meetings and preparation, we embarked on yet another adventure. An old missions vehicle which had been sitting in Maputo for a while trying to sell itself needed to be towed up north where it would have a much better chance at a new life. Mark attached a tow bar to the back of his Land Cruiser and dragged it for the two-day drive to Nicoadala. What should have been a 21-hour drive, turned into an almost 27-hour drive. I kept looking in the rear-view mirror and thinking, “Man, that guy is following awfully close.” Thankfully, we arrived home without any mishaps. This is a week of intense prayer for Africa right across this land. Churches are uniting in an effort to cover every hour of every day this week in prayer for the family and the issues working against the family in Africa. Our local church in Quelimane was assigned to pray on Tuesday. The 24-hour period was divided up into 4-hour groupings. People were asked to sign up for one of the 4 hour periods and to spend that time in prayer. There was no hesitation. People raised their hands indicating the time of day they preferred to pray. What blessed me was to see the church leadership quickly volunteering to pray during the period from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. Praise the Lord. “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chron. 7:14 The African church is praying. Lord, hear their cries. Last weekend, Mark was finally able to make good on his promise to show the Jesus film in the Morrumbala district. Taking three Bible College students along with him, he towed his trailer with his roof-top tent perched on top, and made the trip in four hours. That evening they were able to show the film to a group of about 250 people. Many seeds were sown and the church was encouraged. Following the Sunday morning service, Mark had to make a “short” detour to another village to pick up some bags of corn before returning home. It took him over 12 hours to drive less than 150 kilometers. The bicycle tracks signaled the general direction for one set of tires, while the other side of the vehicle went “bush-whacking” in grass that was taller than the roof of the truck. Hidden in that grass were rocks, stumps, and wash-outs, just to make the ride a bit more interesting. To top it all off, Mark had given a ride to a man, woman and child who were all riding in a car for the very first time. All three of them took their turns getting car sick. Somehow, in the middle of all this excitement, people were sharing their testimonies of how they came to the Lord and discussions were held about dealing with fear of spirits, witchcraft, and other spiritual issues. Who says you can’t have ministry time on a 4×4 excursion! In the coming week, Mark will be making yet another big journey. This one might be a bit easier on his system then the last few he’s made. I’m sure air turbulence can’t compare with Mozambican roads. He hopes to see as many of you as is feasible while he’s in Canada without taking him away from his primary purpose – assisting his parents through their transition into Shepherd Village. While Mark is gone, work at the Bible School continues full steam ahead. In this second group, we have 28 students. He has just finished teaching Hermeneutics. Rex and Rita have started a 2-week session, and after that, Rita and Donna will be teaching. Our heart’s desire is to see pastors and leaders trained to effectively lead the church in the province of Zambezia. Please do continue to pray for the Haug family and for the Lord’s work in Mozambique. Eternity will reveal what we have been able to accomplish as we’ve worked together in this land. Thank-you for being faithful in your part of this calling. To all you mothers out there … You’re awesome! Happy Mother’s Day! April 2008Expect the Unexpected … … Like MALARIA – A couple of weeks ago, Mark had his second experience with malaria since arriving in Mozambique. The last time Mark had malaria he had terrible fevers, and we discovered he was allergic to that particular malaria medicine. This time around, we started Mark on a different medicine right away and in just a couple of days he was up and around. The second day after he was able to get out of bed, he drove all the way to Blantyre to pick up Esther and Jonathan at the airport – about 8 hours on a terrible dirt road most of the way. But thank God, the Lord gave him strength. Many of you prayed for Mark during that time. We are so grateful to have a prayer support base that will lift us up in prayer when urgent needs arise.
I would like to form a list of prayer partners whom we can count on to pray specifically for urgent needs as they arise. If you would like to be a part of that list, could you send us a little note (revnahead@gmail.com)? This will be a separate list from the general one advising everyone that the site has been updated. You can be a vital part of this ministry in Mozambique.… Like CHANGING PLANS – Because of this bout with malaria, Mark’s planned trip to Morrumbala to show the Jesus film in two different places and interview students had to be cancelled. They were so disappointed. On Sunday, the Haug family is making an unexpected trip to South Africa for some doctor’s appointments. We must take advantage of the children being home from boarding school to get this done, so even more of our schedule is being juggled. We would appreciate your prayers for this journey. We’ll be traveling 3 days to get to Pretoria, and we’ll be there for a couple of weeks. On around the 20th of April, Esther and Jonathan will be flying back to Kenya from Joburg, if all goes well. (Thank God we were not successful in our previous attempts to get them tickets flying out of Blantyre.) The remnant of the Haug family will then go to Maputo for a missionary meeting and drive back up to Nicoadala. Jesse’s home schooling is being severely affected by all of this. He’ll have a lot to catch up on when we return. Pray for God’s peace and protection.
In yet another shuffling of plans, Mark will be making an unscheduled trip back to Canada in May. He’ll be assisting his parents who are in the process of selling their home of many years in Toronto and moving into The Manor at Shepherd Village. It’s a major move for them. Mark had promised that when that day came, he would come home to help them. That day has arrived. He hasn’t booked his tickets yet, but he plans to be in the Toronto area for 2 weeks around the 14th. … Like UNEXPECTED FREEBIES – We received free of charge a large pile of lumber from a friend of Mark’s who runs an import/export lumber yard. A large portion of it will be put to use building book shelves for the Bible School library. The library is not all large at the moment, but what we have, we want to be able to put to good use. We are so grateful for the Lord’s provision in that way. … Like STUDENTS REALLY GETTING IT! – Mark has been teaching this past two weeks in the Bible School about man and sin. Most recently he was teaching about the importance of responding to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. After class, one of the students asked him if he could look at a test he had taken at the end of last week. Instead of pointing out an error in the grading that would profit him, he actually wanted to show Mark something he had marked right which was actually WRONG! The Holy Spirit had been convicting him about not speaking up about it. After sitting in on that class, he felt he had to respond to the Lord. Praise the Lord! God is doing a work in the lives of the students. … Like BUILDING IT CHEAPER THAN BUYING IT - After Mark’s incident with sliding into the cafeteria building a few weeks ago, he thought it was important to get a protective bull-bar on the front of his truck. He’d been looking around everywhere from Malawi to South Africa trying to find the best deal. The best price he found was $1,300. After much debate, he decided to build one himself for all of $40. He worked hard at it, and it looks great. You can be the judge. Check out the pictures. (OK, so that wasn’t really unexpected for anybody who really knows Mark, but that’s all right.) … Like PEOPLE GETTING SAVED IN A SANDPILE – Rex had taken the brick layer and his assistant, who have been working on plastering our walls, to get a load of sand for their work. As they were loading, they started asking him questions about the difference between Christians and non-Christians. Rex shared the gospel message with them in such a way that both of them knelt down right there in the middle of the sand pile and said the sinner’s prayer with him! Praise the Lord! Even as we live in the UNEXPECTED, we are finding that God knows it all beforehand and has it all in control. His ways are higher than our ways. We are trusting in HIM to carry us through it all. We also depend very much on YOU – your prayer support, your love, your financial partnership with us in this ministry. Thank-you for doing your part. Together let’s EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED. We serve an EXCEPTIONAL God.Mark, Donna, Esther, Jonathan and Jesse Haug